Summary
There are large differences between broiler and layer chickens in reproductive performance. These differences are correlated with differences in the tissue sensitivity of the oviductal magnum to oestradiol stimulation and demonstrated by alterations in relative ovalbumin synthesis. This biochemical correlate of selection for fertility also differs between ‘male-parent’ and ‘female-parent’ lines of broilers. Ovalbumin synthesis in female-parent lines, selected for fertility as well as growth, shows a greater response to saturating doses of oestradiol than male-parent lines selected for growth alone. Sub-saturating doses of oestradiol produced an even greater difference between the strains. Because of the substantial amount of information available on the molecular biology of steroid induction of egg white proteins, it should now be possible to identify the level at which these differences in gene expression occur.
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Bulfield, G., Isaacson, J.H. & O'Mara, H. Sensitivity of the oviduct to oestrogens in broiler and layer chickens: differential response in the induction of ovalbumin gene expression. Theoret. Appl. Genetics 75, 779–783 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00265605
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00265605